Premium
Increases in the flux of carbon belowground stimulate nitrogen uptake and sustain the long‐term enhancement of forest productivity under elevated CO 2
Author(s) -
Drake John E.,
GalletBudynek Anne,
Hofmockel Kirsten S.,
Bernhardt Emily S.,
Billings Sharon A.,
Jackson Robert B.,
Johnsen Kurt S.,
Lichter John,
McCarthy Heather R.,
McCormack M. Luke,
Moore David J. P.,
Oren Ram,
Palmroth Sari,
Phillips Richard P.,
Pippen Jeffrey S.,
Pritchard Seth G.,
Treseder Kathleen K.,
Schlesinger William H.,
DeLucia Evan H.,
Finzi Adrien C.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01593.x
Subject(s) - environmental science , ecosystem , nitrogen , agronomy , primary production , sink (geography) , carbon sequestration , carbon sink , dominance (genetics) , photosynthesis , biomass (ecology) , ecology , organic matter , canopy , nitrogen cycle , productivity , soil organic matter , carbon dioxide , chemistry , botany , soil water , biology , soil science , biochemistry , cartography , macroeconomics , organic chemistry , gene , economics , geography
Ecology Letters (2011) 14: 349–357 Abstract The earth’s future climate state is highly dependent upon changes in terrestrial C storage in response to rising concentrations of atmospheric CO 2 . Here we show that consistently enhanced rates of net primary production (NPP) are sustained by a C‐cascade through the root‐microbe‐soil system; increases in the flux of C belowground under elevated CO 2 stimulated microbial activity, accelerated the rate of soil organic matter decomposition and stimulated tree uptake of N bound to this SOM. This process set into motion a positive feedback maintaining greater C gain under elevated CO 2 as a result of increases in canopy N content and higher photosynthetic N‐use efficiency. The ecosystem‐level consequence of the enhanced requirement for N and the exchange of plant C for N belowground is the dominance of C storage in tree biomass but the preclusion of a large C sink in the soil.